Well, as I expected, the possum was a goner. It did survive until the next morning, when it was seen by wildlife specialists at an animal hospital; they euthanized it. The resources required to save that animal would have been enormous and I didn’t expect anything else. I just wish that I could have done it so the poor thing didn’t have to suffer through the night. As P.F. pointed out, had the animal been on its own, assuming it didn’t get splattered by another car, it may have survived for days, dying slowly of thirst, hunger and maggots (which quickly infect open sores in wild animals). So suffering was abated, but not as much as I’d like. I don’t know a lot about possum reproduction, and I can only hope that at this time of year no young were dependent upon this animal (it was a female). If there are such young, they may starve to death too. But that is the way of things – it goes on all the time, and most of us just don’t witness it.

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Marla mentioned that if it *did* have young, they would be on it in the pouch, so they would have seen it and been able to save them. Since they didn’t mention it, this female probably didn’t have any little ones depending on her.

I know it wasn’t ideal but at least you did save the poor thing from an even worst fate.